Finals, Foo Fighters, and Link's Awakening

Hey everybody.  John here.  Looks like it's my turn to write a blog post again.

As most people are probably aware, right now Vanderbilt is in the middle of exam week.  Because of this, the majority of my time has been spent studying for upcoming exams and working on a take-home for an anthropology class.  For the most part, this has been pretty mind-numbing, but the take-home was interesting because I got to do a paper on moshing from a post-modernist perspective.

Anthropology at its finest

To keep me from going insane while studying, I've found myself listening to a lot of new music.  If you want some thrashy punk/metal to listen to while you stare vacantly at notes you don't even remember writing, check out this band I just discovered called Voivod.

I also have a friend who just recently discovered how insanely good the Foo Fighters are, which inspired me to watch their amazing documentary "Back and Forth" for a second time.  Whether you're already a fan of this band or have never heard their music before, I highly recommend this documentary.  The film offers a great mix of humor, passion, and some really incredible live footage of Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Queens of the Stone Age, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and a ton of other great bands.

Also, here's an awesome live version of their song "White Limo."

When I wasn't listening to music, I managed to distract myself by playing an emulated version of the Gameboy color game "The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX."  Originally released on the black and white Gameboy system, this title was later redone in full color for the Gameboy color, adding a few new features like an extra dungeon and new side quests.  This was the third Zelda game, and it introduced a lot of the classic elements of the 2D games like the ability to equip different items for both the A and B buttons and the ability to jump using the Roc's feather.  This game is really strange compared to the other Zelda titles.  It deals a lot with dream imagery, and because of that there are a lot of bizarre elements to the game.

In the other titles, you fight through dungeons to save the princess.
In Link's Awakening, you fight through dungeons to get THIS.

The game also features some surprising cameos from characters outside of the Zelda universe.  Does this look familiar?

Or this?

How about this?

The only time I managed to get away from my computer this weekend was when I went to Clarksville to play a show at the Coup with the bands Guntherdoug and Linear Downfall.  We had a reporter come down that night to take some photos of us for an upcoming article in Clarksville's newspaper the Leaf Chronicle.  This was the 49th Resistance House Band show, which is kind of exciting because our 50th will be at the Coup's insanely big End of the World show.

If you want to know what zombie rock sounds like, there's free music here.

Anyway, that pretty much covers my weekend.  Since we are rapidly approaching winter break, this is going to be our last post of the calendar year.  We'll be resuming our posts whenever everyone gets back on campus.  Hope everyone does well on their finals and has a great break!

FinalsFinalsFinalsFinalsFinals

Oh dear. Blog post! Yes! Hi! This is Nell!

What is going on this weekend? Well, first and foremost, for us stressed students, MEGA STRESS FEST. This insane time of year means that Vandy treats us very well. We have help through finals by study breaks, and we had a Christmas Dinner tonight at Rand! It was delicious, as I am sure many of you know.

But, let's go in chronological order! This is the time of giving. And Vanderbilt has adopted 400 children to give presents to under Angel Tree! So, Thursday, from 8 am to 5 pm, people can go turn in their gifts at the SLC Meeting Room. And then the holiday party will be the next day, Friday at 10 am! You should go support our wonderful Nashville community. :)

Also, until the 7th, so (this Friday), there is a lovely Holiday Arts Festival in Sarratt, where you may buy Christmas presents made by some of Middle Tennessee's wonderfully talented craft artists. Again, great gift opportunity, and supporting your community!



But yes. Let's talk about this Stress Fest. You can go to the Student Life Center for free massages, waxing, hand waxes, facials, yogas, and more! It's a way to destress, and it's all for free! If you want to make an appointment, you can go this Friday at 6 pm and make an appointment for any time between 7-11 pm.  Isn't that great?!

Anyways. But really. Besides that, guys, I don't know what else to tell you. It's a stressful time of year. Our reading day is Friday. Our first exams start Saturday. Then we get a break on Sunday to recuperate! Before the beginning of more exams. That being said. Best of luck to everyone! Christmas Break is around the corner, and if anything, your friends and campus will do everything to help you out! :) 

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, Happy Holidays to all, and a Happy New Year! Be on the lookout for our final blogpost of the year this Sunday, too! As for our movie night Friday, well. If you want to know, just ask! (Well, really, we haven't decided yet. Finals!)

Finals Rock

This past week has been SO MUCH FUN. You know what's the best time to schedule your fun social events and performances? The two weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas when everyone's cramming for finals. Um, not really. But hey, I'm not complaining; I saw two wonderful shows this week and I would not have missed them for the world.
The first one-
Freshman showcase 2012
Vanderbilt University Theatre

Yes! It's exactly what the title says.
Every year VUT puts on a show in December featuring freshmen and directed & designed by students!
The first-years this year are so talented. So are the director and designers. There were 3 short comedies and a lot of thespian fun.
It was absurdly hilarious. (Absurdist plays are my fav. If you don't know what theatre of the absurd is, check out Waiting for Godot or Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf )
I refuse to tell you more. That will make you want to go to our shows in the future.
So there. Ha!

The second one--

Holiday Concert
Vanderbilt University Concert Choir

3 of our Mayfielders have been in choir and one of us is currently in choir.
It was wonderful.
One of my favorites was '12 Days After Christmas'. it was vengeful, gritty and dark, just the way Christmas songs are supposed to be.

No it was funny.

Something else that I really really need to share with the world-
I have the most wonderful friends in the world. They're so nice that I can't believe I'm friends with them and I live with them and I'm doing this project with them! Yeah! So, dear reader, when you read their blogposts, please note that you're reading the blogposts of some of the people who're making the world a better place.

So anyways, it's my birthday to and my fellow blogger-housemates prepared a surprise for me. I heard a commotion outside my door. And then I took a moment to comb my hair so I don't look like a mess. And then I took another moment to concentrate and rehearse my surprised face. The ladies baked a sticky bread cake. It's like a cake but it tastes like bread. It has enough cinnamon and sugar to keep me happy and sane till February. I. LOVE. CINNAMON. I ALSO GOT A CARD WHICH IS ON MY WALL NOW, ALONG WITH THE ONE THEY GAVE ME LAST YEAR AND THE ONE MY FRESHMAN YEAR ROOMMATE GAVE ME AND OTHER THINGS.
(Okay, I'll stop. I'm not demonstrating sanity heer)

Events At Vandy From the 29th until the 2nd!

Hello All! Xaralambos here, to let you know about some events you might not have known about.


Tongue 'N' Cheek Vanderbilt's premier Improv comedy group is holding its final show of the semester, appropriately entitled "The Big Ass Show," this Friday at 19:30. The show will be held in Sarratt Cinema, and will be free. I know some of us will definitely be going, so come on by early, and grab seats! If Improv comedy isn't your thing, The Original Cast is presenting Memory in Retreat at 20:00. The show explores various memories, and the emotional effect said memories have on every person. If you're in the mood for more after either event, our Mayfield will be watching Legally Blonde as a group movie. Drop by if you're interested!
On Saturday, at 18:00, The wonderful Life Foundation will be presenting the excellent film, It's a Wonderful Life in the War Memorial Auditorium. If you've never seen it before, the event is free, open to the public, and any proceeds made will go to the families of children undergoing cancer treatment. Definitely give it a watch if you've got the time. On Sunday, the 2nd of December, The Blair School of Music will host a Marathon Viola Recital from 16:00 until 18:00, in the Choral Rehearsal Hall. In addition to this, there will also be a recital featuring students within ChiHee Hwang's Studio performing from 17:00 until 19:00, in the Steve and Judy Turner Recital Hall. And one last musical thing, Vanderbilt University Concert Choir will be having their annual Holiday Concert in Sarratt Cinema at 16:30 until 17:30. Please come support one of our Mayfield members in this concert!

That's all for tonight! Until next time, have a great weekend!

Hi!

Katie here, with a Turkey Break update!

As you probably know, Thanksgiving was this past Thursday, so I spent the past week at my house in Memphis, TN.

Eating way too much of this

One of the highlights of Thanksgiving Break for me was getting to watch the Commodores win two football games, although I had to watch the second game from my house.

I'm so proud to go to Vandy right now.

Another awesome part of this week was shopping. My mom and I braved the lines at Target Thursday night to participate in the beginning of Black Friday madness. 

That is never happening again.

Other than that, I had a pretty typical, relaxing break. I celebrated my niece's second birthday, spent a lot of time playing with my cousins and my siblings, and watched way too much television. 

Of course, now break is over, and it's time to return to the real world and being an adult.

I believe this is my last blog post this year, since I will be in Spain next semester. So, thanks for reading, and good luck with exams, everybody!

Stuff to do at Vandy from Nov. 15-18

Brought to you by Luke.

Thursday, November 15th

Dancing with the Doors
7:15-9:15pm @ Student Life Center

-- Sponsored by VIDA, Vanderbilt's Latin dance club.

Israeli Folk Dancing
7:30-10pm @ Ben Schulman Center for Jewish Life

-- Also on Thursday, November 22nd.

CPC Pancake Palooza
8-11:59pm @ Commons Patio

-- Tickets are $5. All proceeds benefit VSG Angel Tree.

Blair Symphonic Choir
8-10pm @ Blair School of Music - Ingram Hall

-- Featuring folk hymns with director Tucker Biddlecomb. That's an awesome name, by the way.

Friday, November 16th

"Prison, Cinema, and the Senses: The Social and Psychic Experience of Film Behind Bars" with Alison Griffiths
12-2pm @ Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities Conference Room

-- Sounds wicked.

Men's Basketball: Vanderbilt at Oregon
8pm @ Eugene, Ore.

-- I guess you can cheer for the 'Dores if you're going back home to Eugene for Thanksgiving.

Saturday, November 17th

Vanderbilt Football vs. Tennessee
6pm @ Vanderbilt Stadium

-- Get out there and show some support!

Sunday, November 18th

Mayor's 5K Fun Run
12pm @ Public Square Park

-- Read all about it here.

Vanderbilt Community Chorus
2-4pm @ Blair School of Music - Ingram Hall

-- Featuring works by Blair faculty composers with director David Binns Williams.

Have a happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

A Recap on Disabilities Awareness Week

Hey everyone!

Jacob here! Although I'm sure I could spin the tales of an uneventful weekend into something exciting for you folks, I figured I'd do something pertinent to the project and talk about how our event, the Disabilities Awareness Week, went!

Quite a snazzy poster, isn't it?

The first event, the Disabled for a Day scavenger hunt, unfortunately fell on a cold, and later rainy, day.  However, the participants we managed to wrangle together ventured out bravely into the messy weather with enthusiasm!  Not only did they succeed (for the most part), they learned about the issues that arise when trying to navigate something as big as a college campus with a disability.

The next day saw our project hosting a discussion panel with some of the students with disabilities from the Vandy student body.  Although it was a smaller crowd, we still learned a great deal from the discussion! The students each shared their stories, and answered questions about their experiences on campus.  It was definitely an eye opening event, and everyone who wasn't there missed out on a great time!

The third day saw us giving the mic over to the Next Step program here at Vanderbilt to let them explain what exactly it is that they do. Not only did we get the opportunity to hear from one of the administrators about the specifics of the program, which provides post-secondary education opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities, but we also got to hear from a couple of students about their own experiences within the program! For more information, you go can follow that handy little link up there!

Finally, we capped off the week with our Pie A Professor fundraiser, to raise money for the ChairScholars Foundation.  In total, we managed to raise over $400 thanks to the support of both the student body and the families of the volunteers who came out to join us (and revel in the chance to pie their loved ones in the face).  In spite of the cold and Daylight Savings Time bringing the lights down a bit earlier than we'd wanted, it was a fantastic experience, with near-constant smiles abound.  Some photos of all our shenanigans can be found here at our Facebook page, but I'll leave you with my favorite out of them!

Sam really wanted to be pied. And so she asked a total stranger to do it!

That's all for now!  Thanks for reading this massive wall of text!

Jacob

Need some stress relief? Check out these events!

Lindsey Franklyn here to tell you about some of the awesome events going on campus this week and part of the next! (That'd be November 7-13). For anyone stressing about exams coming up before Thanksgiving break, I suggest going to some of these events as a welcome stress-relief.

First up, there's a Taming of the Shrew going on throughout the week of mid-November at Neely Auditorium. The closest shows are Thursday or Friday for anyone interested in getting their Shakespeare-watching on. Tickets are free for undergraduates!

For more information about the play, check out VU Theatre's Anchor Link page.

Mayfield 2: Defying Gravity is currently in the middle of their Disabilities Awareness Week!

All events are leading up to their Friday fundraiser, Pie-A-Prof, where you can pie your professors in the face. From 3:00-6:00 p.m., on the Commons Lawn, fifteen professors (including Dean Wcislo, Maryclaire Manard, Provost McCarty, and some Tongue N' Cheek members) will be allowing students to pie them in the face!

Proceeds go to Chair Scholars, a great foundation that focuses their interests on providing college scholarships to disabled youth seeking an upper-level education. Tickets are being sold throughout this week, and Mayfield 2 will be accepting 5$ cash at the door.

American Red Cross at Vanderbilt is having a Chili's Give Back Night to Hurricane Sandy. The event's taking place on Thursday, November 8, and it will be lasting from 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. 10% of sales will be going to Red Cross, which is helping Hurricane Sandy victims. 

If you're interested in helping Hurricane Sandy victims, but you're stuck in Nashville, this is a great way to help out while taking a study break. 

Come for the BEST weekend of your life! University Catholic (formerly known as Vanderbilt Catholic) will be having its Awakening Retreat this weekend, November 9-November 11.

Think it's too late to sign up? Wrong. Want your life changed forever through a closer personal relationship with God? Sure you do. If you're interested, look for some comments at Univesity Catholic about how Awakening has changed (and touched) a lot of people's lives! I guarantee that you won't regret giving Awakening a chance.

On Friday, November 9, at 10:00 p.m., Mayfield 2: Defying Gravity will be watching Legally Blonde. With Disabilities Awareness Week coming to an end on Friday, everyone is invited to join Mayfield 2 later that evening to relax.

Come out to State of the Word 2012, which is being hosted by Vanderbilt Spoken Word! Tickets are 5$, and the event is taking place at Sarratt Cinema.

State of the World 2012 will be featuring some of the best up-and-coming young Southern poets. If you're interested in self-expression or listening to the voices of many diverse perspectives, this is the perfect event for you!

Two words: Be there.

Last but not least, next week is McGill's birthday week at their TV Lounge! All of these events are open to all undergraduates, regardless of whether or not they have plans to live in McGill. (The chocolate tasting event is definitely incentive to consider McGill, however, as well as the great people living there). 

History of Improv: November 12, 7:00-9:00 p.m. Come join the McGill community, Dr. Amelia Winger-Bearskin, and members of Tongue N' Cheek for an Improv Workshop!

40 Years of McGill History: November 13, 7:00 -9:00 p.m. Dean Mark Bandas, the original McGill Head Resident, will be coming to McGill to discuss the latest forty years of McGill history.  

Chocolate Tasting: November 15, 6:00 p.m. If you love chocolate, this is the event for you. On Thursday, come join Professor Fischer and McGill faculty to taste chocolate. Yearning for some coffee afterwards? At 8:00 p.m., McGill will also be having an Coffee House Open Mic Night. Anyone is free to join the stage.

Whew! That's a lot of events going on this week, as well as part of the next week. Hope some of these events will provide you guys some stress relief!

- Lindsey Franklyn. 

The Weekend I Met Turniphead

Greetings, dear readers! Samantha, here!

This weekend was tame, but enjoyable. On Friday night, our house continued the tradition of a group movie night. We watched Howl’s Moving Castle, a kid’s cartoon endowed with enough character development and beautiful animation to enthrall college students. Every character had their own interesting qualities, but Lindsey and I consider Turniphead to be the best. As you can see in the gif to the left (courtesy of ghiblistudio.tumblr.com), Turniphead wears a bow-tie and a top hat, and has a cheerful bounce to his step. What's not to love?

Katie was absent from our movie watching party because she was at Relay for Life. As a cancer survivor, she gave a speech. We missed her terribly, but knew she was at an important cause! You go, Katie! 

On Saturday, I went on a grocery shopping trip with Katie, Lindsey, and Bobby. That may sound boring, but thankfully, Katie ran me over twice with her scooter on the way, making it plenty dramatic. Don't worry - it was accidental, she only ran over my foot, and it isn't even bruised!

I greatly enjoyed buying a tremendous amount of food (really, who doesn't?) and figure it might be helpful for fellow college readers if I list a few simple, quick, and fairly inexpensive dishes that get me through my week.

1: Wraps. Vandy students, you don't have to rely on Commons, Rand, or Grins for these. Tortillas are pretty cheap, and whatever you want to fill it with - cheese, lunchmeat, tomatoes, avacados, etc - are also useful in many other dishes. Also, if you fold them correctly, wraps are much neater to eat on the way to class than a sandwich. If you never learned how to fold a burrito/wrap, here's a handy photo from www.lanascooking.com.

Also, if you watch carefully, the Rand workers in the Randwich line are pros at this. Learn from the best, dear readers.

2: Eggs! Protein to power through your day, stressed-out college kids. Take the meat and veggies you'd normally put in a wrap, and warm them in the frying pan before putting in your beaten eggs for scrambled eggs. That adds some vitamins to your dish. You can eat the eggs like that, or put them in between two slices of bread. I'm also a huge fan of omelets! They require more effort than scrambling, but this helpful video can make it easy for you!

3: Pasta. I know, I know, you eat squiggly spaghetti with red sauce all the time, and it's terrible for you. All carbs, no vitamins. You can change that. I'm a huge fan of Jamie Oliver's Pasta Carbonara recipe, which includes an egg (yay protien!), peas (or any veggie you like!) and bacon (yay bacon!). Pasta al Limone is a great way to change up your pasta flavor, as well.

While we're in the kitchen mindset, I'd like to share this photo of the blackberry muffins I made today! There were a dozen of them an hour ago, and now there are five. Conclusion: they're delicious.

They were especially tasty with milk, which our Mayfield has no shortage of right now!

Yes, there are currently 7 containers of milk in our fridge.

Turniphead, grocery shopping, and muffins are honestly the most interesting summary of my weekend I can manage! It's been quiet and studious, but pleasant nonetheless. Since I'm a sentimental sort of person, I'll leave you with an encouraging quote from Mary Oliver, "A lifetime isn't long enough for the beauty of this world and the responsibilities of your life...Be good-natured and untidy in your exuberance."

November Here I Come!

Hello Readers Young and Old,

Happy Halloween!




Tomorrow, Thursday, November 1 the CMA Awards will be held at the Bridgestone Arena.  For those who don't want to dish out the $480 for the last few seats remaining, NBC will be showing it live at 7pm.



Friday is Vanderbilt's Annual Relay for Life.

It will be hosted in the Student Recreation Center and will go for 12 hours from 5pm-5am.  Come out for the entire night or any portion to help support cancer research.

You can make donations by following this link here! Here is a link to Vanderbilt's Relay for Life homepage: Click Me! 

Also this Friday is VSG's Movie of the Month with The Dark Knight Rises the last Batman movie in the latest trilogy. 


Support the Commodores this Saturday as they play the Wildcats at Kentucky.  Check for the game on ESPN 3 this Saturday at noon.

That's all for now!  Have a Happy Halloween, good weekend, and look out for updates about our Mayfield's week long event Disabilities Awareness Week November 6-9.

First Mayfield Event of the Year!

Yes, that's right! This past Saturday we had our first even of the year!
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD moving screening!

(because it's Halloween)
The event was a huge success! We provided an alternative activity to people who aren't interested in all the homecoming things. Or at least a medium-sized success. A lot of people who have nothing to do with our Mayfield came, no technical probs, everthing was great.
Also, this is actually my first zombie movie. 'Zombie Apocalypse' actually means something to me now!

Enemy of the heir, be ware. 
Oops, wrong quote. 


Ya. This is probably not my favorite genre. I like watching horror films and stuff with friends but I typically spend a substantial amount of time staring at a point on the wall and not the screen. Not a huge fan of gore. And I just find them so distressing!!!


OH speaking of gore, spoiler alert. In 'the night of the living dead', there's this scene where a car exploded and killed two people, and then a bunch of zombies showed up and started picking up the remaining flesh and chewing on them. Don't wanna gross you out or anything, but.

Yum

Also, this movie was made in 1968. So, naturally, of course, it has strong male leads and disappointing female characters who don't do anything useful. It's fine. It's 1968. Wasn't expecting world-changing female leads.
I can tell you more details, but my housemates are better zombie experts. We enjoyed the movie.

And we didn't kill each other

Anyways, homecoming weekend has been fun too! A lot of fun stories. So nice seeing all these people coming back and be like, aw that's us in 30 years.
=)

Homecoming (read "Halloween") Weekend

Hi, blogosphere!

Katie here. I hope you're ready for Homecoming Halloween weekend at Vandy. I know there are lot of fun activities going on this weekend.

First off, if you love zombies and popcorn, make sure to come to our screening of Night of the Living Dead on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in Stevenson 4309. We'll have free popcorn and soda. If you get there early enough, we might share it with you :P

Because we love movies so much, our Mayfield will be watching Resident Evil: Damnation (Bobby's pick) on Friday evening at 8 p.m. You are all invited!

It's CGI

If horror movies aren't your idea of fun, you can head over to the Wellness Bash on Tuesday (I know, not the weekend) from 3-7 p.m. in the Student Rec Center.  There will be free food and massages, so you should check it out. 

I will personally be celebrating Halloween by heading over to the University Catholic Halloween party at the Frassatti House at 10 p.m. on Saturday. Our Halloween parties are full of music, food, costumes and lots of fun, so you should all be there.  

Finally, Vanderbilt NPHC will be hosting a Homecoming Step Show in Memorial Gymnasium at noon on Saturday. It's a Greek event without alcohol, so I think it sounds pretty awesome. Tickets are $10 for students and can be bought at the Sarratt Box Office. 

 

I think that's pretty much everything. Keep your eyes peeled for posters announcing our next event, Disabilities Awareness Week. 

Happy Halloween!

Metroids and Rock Climbing: A Weekend at Vanderbilt

Hello all! Xaralambos here. Nothing particularly exciting or world changing happened this weekend. That's just as well though. I assume the world is saving all of that for Halloween, so let's cross our fingers and hope Next Wednesday is host to something spectacular.

Hint Hint Universe

Anyhow, this weekend wasn't entirely uneventful. On Friday, we sat down as a group and watched, at Luke's suggestion, The 'Burbs, a film that contrasts a played out and overdone horror concept with comedic nuances to deliver an excellent comedic ride. That description sounds horrible and contrived, but trust me, the movie is amazing. I'm surprised I'd never heard of it before Friday.

Seriously. Watch it.

A good chunk of Saturday was spent waking up late and studying, but the rest? Well, I decided to prepare for Halloween  the only way I knew how: By playing video games. So, after turning out the lights, and preparing my mind, I booted up Slender. About 20 minutes later, I was a jittery, nervous wreck, and decided the Halloween spirit could wait another week, so I played Metroid: Zero mission. For those of you whom haven't already heard, Slender is a Freeware game, where the entire point is to collect 8 notebook pages scattered about a given area. The Titular Character, the Slenderman, is an Internet created urban legend. I won't give an entire review of the game here, but for what it is -- A free horror game about an Internet phenomenon -- it's excellent. Definitely check it out if you're interested in a game with a horrifying atmosphere, or if you're looking for Creepy Watson: The Game.

The average reaction to the game

After abandoning the Halloween spirit, I decided to run through a game that had been on my "To finish" list for a while: Metroid:Zero Mission. The game is a retelling of the original Metroid for the Game Boy Advance, with updated graphics, improved mechanics, and the long awaited ability to shoot diagonally. I beat it in about 5 hours, but despite it's relatively short length, it more than delivers in gameplay. Though the game came out in 2004, it's still an immensely enjoyable ride. Plus, the game comes with a built in version of the Original 1986 version of Metroid.

Also, it's a better game than Other M

The Dawn of the Third Day arrived...and found me still in bed. At 2:00 p.m., however, I joined a couple of fellow Highland dwellers (Referred to from hereon out as Highlanders) as we went rock climbing.

Alright, so it was indoors, and it was at Climb Nashville, but it was still a bit more difficult than pressing a button. the Highlanders all had an awesome time, whether we slipped  off the wall and thrashed about in midair, skinned our thumbs on the carabiners, and got blood all over our bright white shirts, or whether we engaged in glorious combat and payed witness to a Quickening. 

(One of these things may not be entirely true.)

So, that was pretty much my weekend. Halloween is in 10 days, more or less, so If you're looking for a game to get in the mood, I'd recommend Slender, and another freeware game, SCP Containment Breach. I know a couple of you watch Doctor Who, So just think Slender with Weeping Angels. You've also got Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and Bioshock, and even the earlier Silent Hill games hold up pretty dang well. Just avoid Resident Evil 6. It's not a horrible game, sure, but it's just not a "Horror" Game. If you must play a Resident Evil game, Go for Resident Evil 4. Or even Dino Crisis. It's Resident Evil...With Dinosaurs! What's not to like about that?

Stuff to do at Vandy from Oct. 18-21

Brought to you by Luke.

Thursday, October 18th

R.E.E.C.A. Club Fall Bar-B-Que
12-2pm @ Highland Quad

-- R.E.E.C.A. stands for "Russian, East European, and Central Asian." An exciting lunch op from a new club on campus.

Live VU Student Songwriter Showcase
7-10pm @ Rand Hall New Dining Area

-- Headlined by Vandy's own Archive Nights.

Israeli Folk Dancing
7:30-10pm @ Ben Schulman Center for Jewish Life

-- In the interest of space, click here for further information. This looks like a blast!

Signature Series: John Johns, guitar
8-10pm @ Blair School of Music - Ingram Hall

-- Featuring French, Spanish, Argentine, and Cuban guitar music spanning four centuries.

October 18th and Friday, October 19th

Vanderbilt University's Chinese Associations' Bubble Tea Fundraiser
9am-5pm @ Sarratt Promenade ("The Wall")

-- Sixteen hours across two days: you have no excuse!

October 19th

Vanderbilt Women's Soccer vs. Auburn
7pm @ Vanderbilt Soccer/Lacrosse Complex

-- Fingers crossed that it'll turn out something like this:

Tongue 'n' Cheek
8-9:30pm @ Rand

-- Vandy's very own improv comedy troupe.

The 'Burbs
9:30pm @ Mayfield 2

-- Feel free to drop by and join us for a movie. IMO, this is one of the funniest movies ever.

Saturday, October 20th

Brain Freeze Bike Challenge
7:30am @ Chaney's Dairy Barn, 9191 Nashville Road, Bowling Green, KY 42101

-- "A bike race that will also have an eating challenge component...Participants can choose to eat scoops of ice cream at designated stops..." Sound like my kind of athletic event. Proceeds support the Hoover Hope Angel Fund for Families.

The Sound of Turkey
7-9pm @ Sarratt Cinema

-- With soprano Seren Akyoldas and pianist Gulru Ensari.

Signature Series: Blair String Quartet
8-10pm @ Blair School of Music - Ingram Hall

-- With music by Haydn, Husa, and Beethoven. Among Blair students, this is one of the most highly anticipated concerts of the year.

Sunday, October 21st

Vanderbilt Women's Soccer vs. Florida
1pm @ Vanderbilt Soccer/Lacrosse Complex

-- Here's my excuse to share another clip from Shaolin Soccer:

-- The Central Library has a copy of the DVD, by the way.

Vanderbilt University Concert Choir
2-4pm @ Blair School of Music - Ingram Hall

-- With David Binns Williams, director.

And last but not least...

...it's not too early to mark your calendars for our Mayfield's first event: a 6:30pm screening of Night of the Living Dead at Stevenson 4309 on October 27th. Popcorn and beverages will be served!

Band Practice!

Hey everyone.  John here with a kind of unexciting weekend to tell you about.

This weekend I went back to Clarksville, TN to be with family for my dad's 60th birthday.  We had a fairly low-key celebration, which featured a nice dinner, opening of cards and presents, and birthday cake.  Since I'm allergic to eggs, I usually don't get to eat cake when other people have birthdays, so my dad's birthday marks one of the three times a year that I have access to egg-free cake, which is awesome.

I also got to see my girlfriend, Paige, who was in town for fall break.  Unfortunately, she had a ton of family members that hadn't seen her for a long time, so we didn't really get to hang out very much.  With the exception of driving her to and from Nashville, we only got to hang out about five hours and didn't really do anything exciting.

Mission Accomplished

By far my favorite part of the weekend was getting to have band practice for my zombie rock group the Resistance House Band.  For some reason, I find it really hard to meet other musicians at Vanderbilt, with the exception of every guy with an acoustic guitar that plays the Fray, Lifehouse, Dave Matthews Band, Oasis, Goo Goo Dolls, and a heartfelt, tear-jerking rendition of "Hey There Delilah."

I blame this video.

Since I haven't really found any musicians that I mesh with on campus, it's nice to be able to go back home and get to play with an actual band after weeks of playing by myself in my room.  Plus, our bassist had a new fuzz pedal for me to try out that day, and it sounds awesome.  It gives us more of a garage rock sound than we usually have.  We've got shows booked every weekend from now through mid-November, including one gig with a fill-in drummer, so we've got a lot of work to do in the next few weeks.

Old photo, but it gives you a sense of what our practice space is like.

Anyway, that about covers my weekend.  Hope you enjoyed it, and check back on Wednesday to get info on the coming weekend.